Best Hardshell Jackets 2019 For Outdoor Hiking

Hardshell jackets are an essential equipment for outdoor activities fans, the versatility of it can bring great convenience to outdoor activities. There are variety of hardshell jackets in the market, do you know how to choose the best hardshell jackets, and how to tell the most suitable materials and brands?

Let’s try to figure out the characteristic of the hardshell jackets before you make the decision.

Hardshell, keep your body away from the risk of hurt, when you cross the jungle and climbing the rock.

Weather resistance (e.g. Rain, snow, wind) and breathable.

Waterproof

In summary, hardshell jackets are best for protecting you from rains, wind, snow and bad weather.

Hardshell Jackets Material: Fabric

1. GORE-TEX

The most famous fabrics is GORE-TEX from the W.L. Gore Corporation (the dominant player in this field). This is a classic 3 layer fabric, which consists of an outer layer or “face fabric”, a “membrane” that’s bonded to it and a very lightweight backing fabric is attached to the interior.

“Membrane” is the most important layer, and most commonly made of expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) or Polyurethane (PU), which is Waterproof, Windproof and Breathable.

Types of GORE-TEX®

GORE-TEX® is a versatile fabric that can be used for anything from climbing to everyday, around-town wear.

GORE-TEX® Active is meant for highly aerobic activities like cross-country skiing, alpine climbing or other stop-and-go activities. It is lightweight and incredibly breathable.

GORE-TEX® Pro is engineered to be rugged, durable and ideal for extended use in extreme conditions. It is three-layer construction with maximum protection.

eVent

Besides GORE, eVent is another popular fabric, which is producted by BHA Altair. They have developed Direct Venting™ technology. It’s a ‘dry system’ that allows eVent fabrics to be fully waterproof and fully breathable – keeping you dry and comfortable in the widest range of temperatures and conditions. They also have three types, corresponds to Waterproof, Windproof, Protective.

Others

In addition to these specialized fabric companies, most Hardshell Jackets companies have their own fabric, most of them are coating or membrane fabric, and membrane is much better than coating. e.g.

Summary

GORE-TEX and eVent are best choice if you don’t have preference. GORE-TEX have three types GORE-TEX®, GORE-TEX® Active and GORE-TEX® Pro, which is enough for different levels of people, and you should take priority over membrane.

The Arc'teryx Alpha FL is my choice award as the best overall hardshell jacket, which is light weight, supreme weather protection, a perfect fit, and fantastic mobility for climbing or skiing. The price is not cheap, but it's affordable.

Arc'teryx has updated the Alpha FL recently, with a handful of changes, aiming to improve this already excellent product. The zippers were updated to reduce stitching and seams and increase water resistance, along with incorporating Arc'teryx's relatively new RS Zipper design. The cord locks on the hem and hood are now Cohaesive cordlocks, which are lower profile and easier to release with gloves on. Also, the diagonal chest pocket is now vertically aligned, and there's a new internal security pocket as well. With the lighter weight, it is our favorite hardshell jacket.

2. Marmot Men's PreCip Jacket

If you are finding a rain Jacket, and your budget is limited, then Marmot is a good choice.

PreCip VS Minimilist? Minimilist with industry leading Goretex Paclite material. This will last you for years and years and is the kind of material outdoor enthusiasts drool over. Light, waterproof, breathable and durable. For PreCip which combines a nylon waterproof layer with Marmot's own NanoPro breathable material. The benefit of this option is that it is light weight.

Why Percip? The prerequisite is you are looking for a daily rain Jacket. The PreCip is more comfortable than Minimilist, and price is also affordable too. In most situations, it has a great combination of features, weight, waterproofness and price.

5. Marmot Nano AS Jacket

Final Thoughts

If budget is not a problem buy Arc’teryx, otherwise Marmot is not a bad option, however, most people may not need harshell jackets, my personal recommendation is softshell jackets. If you don’t know the differences between softshell and hardshell jacket, please check out our best softshell jacket article.